Vietnam’s Rice Revolution: Farmers Slash Methane Emissions with Innovative Growing Techniques

In the vibrant green expanses of Long An province within Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, 60-year-old Vo Van Van’s rice paddies stand out. Unlike the typical flooded fields, his are not completely submerged. Above these fields, a large drone, comparable in wingspan to an eagle, buzzes through the sky, dispensing organic fertilizer on the lush, knee-high seedlings below.

Van is pioneering innovative farming techniques that involve less water usage and drone-assisted fertilization. He believes these methods could address the dual challenges rice farming faces due to climate change: its susceptibility to environmental shifts and its significant contribution to the issue through methane emissions.

Rice cultivation is unique because it traditionally requires flooded fields where seedlings are planted by hand—a labor-intensive process that also leads to substantial methane production. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, traps significantly more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, particularly over the short term.

These flooded conditions inhibit oxygen from penetrating the soil, creating an ideal environment for methane-producing bacteria. Consequently, rice fields are responsible for about 8% of all anthropogenic methane emissions.

Vietnam ranks as the third-largest rice exporter globally, with the Mekong Delta being the heartland of its rice production. This region, a lush network of fields and waterways, has been crucial in preventing famine since the close of the Vietnam War in 1975. Rice is not only a staple food; it is revered, often seen as a divine gift, and is integral to Vietnamese culture.

Transformed into various forms like noodles and wine, rice is omnipresent in Vietnam’s bustling markets, where it is transported in hefty bags by motorcyclists or shipped along the Mekong River on barges. After harvest, the rice is processed, dried, and packed in factories teeming with sacks of the grain.

For the past two years, Van has collaborated with Loc Troi Group, a major Vietnamese rice exporter, adopting an alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation method. This technique, which involves periodic drying of the fields, not only conserves water but also reduces methane emissions.

The use of drones for applying fertilizer not only cuts down on labor costs—increasingly important as fewer people are willing to work in agriculture—but also ensures precise application, preventing excessive release of nitrogen gases from the soil.

Post-harvest, instead of burning rice stubble—a common practice that contributes to regional air pollution—Van’s crop residues are collected by Loc Troi Group and sold as livestock feed or used for cultivating straw mushrooms, enhancing his farm’s sustainability and profitability.

These innovations have reduced Van’s costs while maintaining his yield. The use of organic fertilizer also allows him to access European markets, where organic products fetch a higher price. Additionally, these practices afford him time to cultivate his personal garden, where he grows jackfruit and coconuts.

According to Nguyen Duy Thuan, CEO of Loc Troi Group, these farming methods use 40% less seed and 30% less water, also reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Thuan highlights the company’s goal to expand these practices from 100 to 300,000 hectares. This is part of a broader national ambition to cultivate high-quality, low-emission rice on 1 million hectares by 2030—a move projected to cut production costs by 20% and boost farmers’ incomes by over $600 million.

Vietnam, recognizing the need to modernize its agricultural practices, was the largest rice-exporting nation to sign a methane reduction pledge at the UN climate summit in Glasgow. Despite this, the rice industry still faces annual losses exceeding $400 million due to climate impacts, emphasizing the need for continued innovation and adaptation.

The Mekong Delta, where the bulk of Vietnam’s rice export is grown, faces increasing threats from climate change, including intensified seasonal flooding and saltwater intrusion, exacerbated by upstream dam constructions and unsustainable resource extraction.

Updating traditional rice farming techniques is costly, and despite methane’s significant impact on global warming, it attracts only a small fraction of climate financing. Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, emphasized the availability of low-cost, effective solutions for methane reduction, noting the bank’s support for Vietnam’s sustainable farming efforts.

Lewis H. Ziska, a professor at Columbia University, suggests that cultivating genetically diverse rice varieties could further aid in resilience to climate challenges, with some strains requiring less water or being more tolerant of heat and salinity.

Nguyen Van Nhut, director of rice export company Hoang Minh Nhat, shared that his suppliers are adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, which complicate the traditional sun-drying process, by enhancing drying facilities to mitigate risks like mold and insect damage.

As the climate continues to change, the timing and intensity of the rainy seasons have become erratic, underscoring the urgency for adaptable and resilient agricultural practices.

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